Case Histories

Gary Cox Investigations has achieved success for many clients in a variety of corporate, industrial and insurance investigations, with many resulting in prosecutions for fraud.

Case One

This involved a chemical storage facility in Sydneys inner west. There had been a tip-off from local residents that staff had been seen stealing. On day one, surveillance started from our agents disguised van overlooking the staff car park from 06.00am. Many staff members were already present and some arrived soon after. Within an hour, five employees were seen looking about suspiciously from one of the large storage sheds. They looked left and right, and satisfied the coast was clear, wheeled out a trolley containing several 20 litre drums of the company product which was clearly marked and hid them in a boot of a car. They made several trips out to a number of cars, each time putting drums of company product in the cars. Close up identification photographs and video was taken on each occasion. Later in the morning, the evidence was taken to the Balmain Police Station where detectives were on standby. The evidence was shown to them, and later that day, five men were arrested, one of which was the union delegate.

Case Two

We were instructed to follow xxxx tanker drivers on their routes. One driver was followed of an evening. He made an unscheduled stop at an independent service station, not related to our client. He was caught on video as he entered the office and spoke to a man then returned to the tanker and quickly pumped several thousand litres of petrol into a holding tank. After replacing the hose, he was approached by the man and video was taken as the driver was handed a wad of cash. The case and video evidence was referred to the local detectives and the driver was charged and eventually convicted at Miranda Court.

Case Three

This also involved a xxxx tanker driver. Neighbours of a street in Sydneys west complained to our client of the drivers suspicious activities outside his parents home in the dead of night. Surveillance over several nights revealed nothing until one night when the suspect arrived in the tanker and he was observed through binoculars as he filled about thirty 20 litre drums with xxxx and hid them at the back of the house. Once again local detectives had been on standby. When it looked as though he had finished, the police were called. He was about to leave and the police had not arrived so we surrounded the tanker with the three surveillance cars. The police arrived moments later and he was arrested. Apart from the theft aspect, it presented a great danger to his parents and other local residents.

Case Four

This involved a general undercover operation at a major small goods manufacturer. Three undercover agents were ensconced into the employ of the companys operation in Sydneys western suburbs. The operatives worked their shifts and documented their observations each day. Many things quickly came to their notice, one of which was that each morning the various products were cooked then released from a chute for sorting. The sorters weighed upwards of 140 kilograms and seemed to regard the company products as their breakfast. They ate huge quantities each shift. There was also a racket involving smoked hams and other goods which were smuggled out. Over a period of time, considerable information and evidence was gathered and reported to management who used it to change procedures and dismiss certain individuals.

Case Five

Another undercover operation was conducted for a Queensland client, which is a well known company in the outer suburbs of Brisbane. There was a suspicion that there was drug trafficking and drug use at the plant. A forklift driver had recently been in an accident and refused to have a drug test. Our man was hand-picked for the job, in his mid twenties and of surfer appearance. He commenced employment soon after as a forklift driver. Over a period of about eight weeks, he became familiar with the operation and befriended many of the employees. It transpired that marijuana smoking had been rampant among many of the employees and that there was a particular location where they congregated and smoked the drugs. There were also two individuals who had been dealing. The company had eliminated the problems by recently declaring the problem spot off limits. Also, the two employees who had been dealing, had recently left the company. Our operative was satisfied that the company had effectively dealt with the problem and the feedback from the factory floor by the employees was that for the time being, they were all behaving themselves and that drugs were not a problem. With this particular company we periodically send a man undercover to monitor the activities within, from a drugs, theft and safety perspective. The company is showing that it is being responsible from an OHS point of view, concerned for the safety of its workers and company performance. Undercover operations can be a valuable tool to detect fraud and theft, but it can also be of immense value identifying unethical work practices that can bring the company into disrepute. Law suits and major losses due to recalls could amount to millions of dollars in lost revenue, tarnished reputations and diminished share values.